


Never Alone

by Titch360



Series: My Version of Events [67]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Bonding, Counseling, Friendship, Help, It'll get better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:36:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27720827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titch360/pseuds/Titch360
Summary: The longest tasks can be made easier by having someone to talk to while working.  Even when you have problems, you are never as alone as you think.Thanks to Taurus2001 for the suggestion, and giving me the idea to dredge up this old story, which I had put out to pasture a long time ago.  The new version you inspired turned out much better than the first version, which I threw out.
Series: My Version of Events [67]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1339429
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	Never Alone

Never Alone

“You’re late.”

Impulse looked at the digital clock over the big board in the control center of Mount Justice, and rolled her eyes at Robin’s growled comment.

“I’m only ten minutes late,” the red-haired speedster said as she sat down in the chair next to Robin.

“You’re a speedster,” Robin said, not looking at the girl, “There’s no reason for you to be late when the only people on the entire planet who are faster than you are Superman and your own Father.”

“We had guests over,” Impulse said, “We didn’t think they’d stay as late as they did. I got here as soon as I could.”

“Well,” Robin trailed off as he realized Impulse had given a perfectly acceptable explanation, “You could have sent me a text message, telling me you were going to be late.”

“You’re lucky I’m here at all,” Impulse said, “Mom isn’t exactly thrilled that I’m spending the night with a boy. Dad was the one who convinced her that you could be trusted.”

Robin released a long breath through his nose, “What does she think is going to happen? It’s a monitoring shift.”

Impulse’s cheeks blushed roughly the same color as her hair, “Well…”

Robin turned his head slowly, “Well, what?”

Impulse looked down, “A month or two ago, this new family moved in across the street. They have a son, the same age as me and Merc. Quan and Merc get along, but he’s more interested in me. I think Freddy is pretty cute.”

“Freddy,” Robin asked.

“His real name is Quan, but he goes by Freddy,” Impulse said, “I don’t know why.”

Robin shrugged, “Okay. Continue.”

“Gosh, this is embarrassing,” Impulse said softly, “We were talking, and he blurted out that he likes me. He…he kissed me yesterday. It was my first kiss…and Mom caught us.”

“You let your Mother catch you kissing your boyfriend,” Robin asked.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Impulse said quickly.

“Did she walk into your room, or something?”

“Well, we were on the front porch,” Impulse said, looking away.

“So, you weren’t exactly hiding anything,” Robin said.

“No,” Impulse agreed, “I wasn’t expecting him to kiss me, though.”

“Did you want him to kiss you,” Robin asked softly, “Did he kiss you against your will?”

Impulse looked over with concern on her face, “If I say no, are you going to go over there and beat him up?”

“No one mistreats, or takes advantage of, my family,” Robin said authoritatively.

“Like I said, I wasn’t expecting it,” Impulse said, “but I’m pretty sure I wanted it to happen.”

_She wanted it to happen? Does that mean she doesn’t know how Jon feels about her? This will hurt him, if she pursues someone else before he has a chance to tell her how he feels. I still need to talk to him and confirm what I’m pretty sure I saw. I wonder if she thinks of him like a little brother?_

“What do you mean, pretty sure,” Robin asked.

“Well, he leaned in, and I just…went with it,” Impulse said with a shrug. “I was nervous, but I didn’t want to stop him.”

“How much of a kiss are we talking about here,” Robin asked, “Are we talking a quick peck on the cheek, or a push you against the wall, hands gripping your hair, leave you weak in the knees and out of breath, proper kiss?”

Impulse’s blush flared to life again, “That’s a little personal.”

Robin shrugged, “You’re the one who brought this whole topic up.”

“I guess so,” Impulse said, “A little more than the first one, but nowhere near the second one. It was quick, but on the lips. It was…nice. At least, until Mom caught us.”

“Do you want to do it again,” Robin asked.

“Yeah,” Impulse answered lightly.

“With this…Freddy,” Robin pressed.

Impulse stared at Robin, “Are you asking if I want to kiss you?”

Robin flinched back a bit at the question. “You said your Mother caught you, and implied that she’s not happy. I’m asking if it is worth the trouble. Would you want to kiss him again?”

“I don’t know,” Impulse said after several seconds of thought, “I mean, I never really thought of him that way, until he kissed me.”

_Maybe Jon still has a chance?_ “Why don’t you know,” Robin asked gently, “Is there someone else?”

“Aren’t you, like, head over heels in love with your girlfriend,” Impulse asked with a smile.

Robin rolled his eyes under his mask, “Again, not asking for myself. I’m trying to help you through this. It’s obviously bothering you.”

Impulse sighed, “I don’t want to kiss Freddy again. I just…don’t think of him that way. There is someone else…I think. I just…don’t know how to approach it. How did you do it? How did you meet your girlfriend?”

“The situations are hardly the same,” Robin said, “By saying that there is someone else, it sounds like you already know that person. My girlfriend was a complete stranger.”

“I do know the person,” Impulse said, “but, I’m interested now. How did you and Robin meet?”

Robin grew a soft smile, which he quickly killed, “I’ll tell you, if you answer this one quick question.”

Impulse nodded, amazed that Robin was even considering telling her this story in uniform, “Yeah, anything.”

Robin took a breath, “It’s Garfield, isn’t it?”

Impulse leaned back in shock, “Is what Garfield?”

“The other person you’re interested in,” Robin said.

“No,” Impulse blurted out, then blushed a little, “I mean, I like him, but…kinda in the same way I like you. I think of you both like brothers.”

This time, Robin didn’t stop his smile. _I thought so. It is Jon. Why didn’t I see this from her before?_

“What’s that look for,” Impulse asked.

Robin nodded gently, “It’s okay. Take things slow, and you might be surprised at what could happen.”

Impulse gasped, then whispered, “How did you know? I haven’t even written this in my diary.”

“I pay attention to subtle clues,” Robin said, “Mostly from him, but there have been a few from you, too.”

Impulse’s jaw dropped and her face lit up with delight, “From…from him? You mean, he’s…”

“Young,” Robin interrupted, “and not ready to move beyond where you two are right now yet, but interested.”

“Are we thinking of the same person,” Impulse asked.

“I’m pretty sure we are,” Robin said, “He really is a…Super kid. Anyone would be lucky to have him.”

“And, he’s interested,” Impulse asked excitedly, “He told you that?”

“No,” Robin said, “He didn’t say anything. This is all from things I’ve seen. I’ve been meaning to talk to him about it. Maybe I’m not the one who should talk to him?”

“I think he’ll talk to you,” Impulse said, “whether you bring it up or not. How do I start, though?”

“You already started,” Robin said, “You two are friends. That is the start, and it’s really the best start, in my opinion. Don’t push anything. Just let it happen naturally. Pay attention to him. I’ve found that the best relationships are the ones where you’re comfortable talking.”

That surprised Impulse, “Talking?”

Robin nodded, “Communication is the most important thing. Robin lives four thousand miles away from me. If we couldn’t hold a conversation over the phone, we wouldn’t be dating anymore. On average, Robin and I only see each other maybe ten days a year, maybe fifteen. This year was going to be different. I was going to spend the entire month of May with her. At least, I was; before the fire. The rest of the time, our relationship is through phone calls and texts, and the occasional skype call. That’s how you two are going to have to be for a while.”

“But…why,” Impulse asked.

Robin smirked, “Because, if you thought your Mother was scary, then you don’t want to meet _his_ Mother.”

Impulse thought about the few times she had met Jon’s mother. It didn’t look promising for her.

“Should I even be thinking about going for this? I mean, he’s a year younger than me.”

Robin shrugged, “I’m a year and a half younger than Robin. If the feeling is there, and it’s true, and you’re both serious, and don’t go out of your way to do anything stupid, then age is just a number.”

“What will this do to the team,” Impulse asked.

Robin stared critically at Impulse for several long seconds, “I like to think that I know both of you very well. Neither of you are going to jump into anything blindly. There is no rush here. You two absolutely cannot be in any sort of hurry. Given your ages, and your mothers, you two have to move slow. You don’t have any choice in the matter. We don’t know what the future will bring. Don’t go looking for trouble; it will find you all on its own. I don’t think you should be worrying about the team, and how a possible relationship could change things. If you want it enough, everything will work out.”

“Wow,” Impulse asked softly.

Robin reached over and patted Impulse’s hand, “You have my full support. I happen to think you are a good match for my brother.”

Impulse looked at Robin strangely, and said, “Eww.”

Robin sighed, “My _younger_ brother. Frankly, you’re not Tim’s type.”

Impulse giggled, then asked, “Why do you want this to happen?”

Robin shrugged, “I guess I’m just a romantic, deep down. Anyway, I think you two have more of a chance than Jai and Lian.”

Impulse’s eyes widened, “Lian and _my brother?_ ”

“I’ve seen some of the same behaviors out of him towards Lian that I’ve seen out of Jon towards you.”

“I totally didn’t see that,” Impulse said, “Just like I totally didn’t see you being a romantic. That’s got to be the last thing any of us think about, when thinking about you.”

Robin looked down and spoke softly, “Maybe that’s how I was forced to be, growing up.”

“Forced to be a romantic,” Impulse asked, “or forced to hide it away?”

Robin looked away and whispered, “The second one.”

The pair fell silent for several long minutes while Robin performed checks on the world monitors and Justice League frequencies, trying to take his mind off of the very personal detail he just let slip.

Hoping to cheer Robin up, once he seemed to run out of things to do, Impulse said, “Okay, I kept my part of the bargain. You dragged it out of me, that I eventually want to try dating Jon.” Impulse gasped at her own statement, “Wow, now that I say it out loud, it sounds good. Anyway, it’s your turn to answer my question. How did you and Robin meet?”

Robin turned to look at Impulse, “You really want to know?”

“Of course,” Impulse said, “It has to be some incredible story, knowing you. How did you two meet, if she lives four thousand miles away from you?”

“She didn’t always live so far away,” Robin said.

“Well, what happened,” Impulse asked.

Robin shook his head slightly, “We met at a party.”

“You got invited to a party,” Impulse asked in shock, “Was it one of those ‘everyone in the class gets invited’ parties?”

“No, it’s more embarrassing than that,” Robin said, “It was at Father’s Spring Society Party, three years ago.”

Impulse looked Robin up and down critically. Robin eyed the girl and asked, “What?”

“You met her at a fancy, rich person, formal party?” Impulse’s eyes traveled up and down Robin again, “Got any pictures of that? I’d love to see you in a tuxedo.”

Robin rolled his eyes under his mask, “A tuxedo? Are you kidding? It was an early afternoon, spring event. I only had to wear a suit.”

“I bet you look great in a suit,” Impulse said with a smile.

“I do,” Robin said, flashing a hint of a smile, which quickly disappeared, “Didn’t you just tell me that you’re interested in Jon?”

“I am, but now I can’t stop picturing you in a suit,” Impulse said, “What color was the one you wore when you met Robin?”

“Light grey,” Robin said, “Why don’t you try picturing Jon in a suit?”

Impulse shrugged, “Yeah, right. It’s a good thing I have a good imagination. I probably have just as much of a chance of seeing Jon in a suit as I do of seeing you in one.”

Robin thought for a second, “Never say never. It could happen. I’ve seen Jon in a suit. A tuxedo, actually.”

“Photoshop filter,” Impulse asked.

“Training mission,” Robin replied, “Before we started the team, the Justice League picked Jon and me for a test. They wanted to see how much we had to learn, and they used us as guinea pigs. Me because they wanted to see how much I would be able to follow their directions, and Jon as the least experienced person on the team. We were picked as a control study, to see where to start the team. The event took place at a formal gallery opening, and even though he said he was uncomfortable, he still looked good in formalwear.”

“Wow, I never knew that,” Impulse said.

They fell silent again, until Impulse asked, “Do you just not want to talk about how you met Robin? You keep finding ways to change the subject. It was a fancy party. Then what happened?”

Robin smiled, “You didn’t get distracted. Good.”

Impulse turned her head at an angle, “Wait, was this a test?”

“Everything can be a test,” Robin said, “You think the Justice League doesn’t train anymore, just because they’re the Justice League? We’ve got a long way to go before we can stop training.”

“Alright,” Impulse said, “Party. Go.”

Robin released a breath, and Impulse could swear that Robin gave a warm smile, “We were destined to meet. It had to have been fate. That’s the only way it can be explained. I wasn’t even supposed to be at the party where we met.”

“What do you mean,” Impulse asked.

“I was a different person then,” Robin said, “This was long before I started therapy. I was still recovering from a long undercover mission I’d completed for Batman. Father and I argued over everything at that time. I got overwhelmed and did something stupid, which I’m not going to talk about. It ended with that I was going to spend the weekend with Tim, who wasn’t living at the Manor at the time, to settle down and let things blow over.”

“How stupid was whatever you did,” Impulse asked.

Robin looked over, “I just said I wasn’t going to talk about it.”

“Oh, come on,” Impulse said, “It’s me. I’m not going to tell anyone.”

Robin sighed, “Fine. I bottle up my emotions. I always have. I deal by not dealing. After a while, things get to be too much, and I have to go. I have to blow off steam. I run. I don’t think, I just move. I ran away from home, and ended up at Tim’s apartment. That’s why I was going to spend the weekend with Tim.”

“Wow,” Impulse said softly.

Robin looked down, “Therapy has helped, and talking to Robin helps, but…well, it still happens.” Robin shook his head, “Anyway, I was going to stay with Tim. Father gave us a pass on the party. I was feeling pretty guilty over how I acted, and I wanted to see Father and apologize. We ended up going to the party. It turned into a standard Society party.”

“Elegant,” Impulse asked, leaning forward, “Fancy?”

“Boring,” Robin said, “Father and Robin’s father were actually trying to set up Tim with Robin’s older sister. That didn’t become interesting until after the party.”

“Did they not get along,” Impulse asked.

Robin shook his head, “Tim and Gina are actually good friends now, they just could never date.”

“Why not?”

Robin gave a large smile, “Gina is gay. She’s out now, but she wasn’t then. Her parents didn’t know yet.”

Impulse laughed at the situation.

“I got tired of watching Father trying to pimp Tim out, so I went to get something to eat. On my way back, I saw Robin sitting on the couch. I saw her from behind at first, and thought it was just someone close to my age. I thought I could kill a few minutes by talking to her, just standard society stuff. I approached her, and she looked at me, and I froze.”

“You,” Impulse asked, astonished.

“I had never been so immediately attracted to someone in my life,” Robin said, growing breathless at the memory, “and, I’ve never felt like such a bumbling idiot in my life. My tongue was tripping over itself as I tried to talk to her. I had to make a conscious effort to remember how to breathe. I felt like I was drowning.”

“I can’t see that,” Impulse said, “I can’t see you acting like that.”

“I was a different person then,” Robin said, “and I’d never met anyone like her. She was so easy to talk to. And her eyes,” Robin released a happy sigh, “her eyes are captivating, mesmerizing. I can stare into her eyes for hours at a time. It’s so easy to get lost in her eyes.”

Impulse had never seen Robin looking so relaxed as he did when describing his girlfriend.

Robin looked down, “Then, I did something stupid.”

“What do you mean,” Impulse asked.

“We went to the same school at the time. Father pulled me out of school that year, to complete my mission. My cover story was that I was at Art School in France. I didn’t know that people at school talked about me. No one ever talked _to_ me, so I figured that no one cared to talk _about_ me. I was wrong, apparently. Robin asked me about studying art, and asked to see some of my artwork. I took her up to my bedroom and showed her one of my sketchbooks.”

“What’s wrong with that,” Impulse asked.

Robin gave a small smile, “I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it, either, but society people don’t have a lot to do to keep themselves busy. They like to talk, and start rumors. Anything that will give them something to talk about. Father has a reputation around town as a womanizer, and some in society wondered if I would take after him. In the middle of a society party, with more attention on us than we normally want, I took Robin upstairs to my bedroom. I was so focused on her, and didn’t realize I was doing it, but I was holding her hand as we walked upstairs. That wasn’t what got people talking, though.”

Impulse was beaming at Robin as she asked, “What else happened?”

Robin shook his head lightly, “Our Fathers followed us up to my room, and found us sitting on my bed, looking at one of my sketchbooks. We were still holding hands.”

“Aww,” Impulse said.

Robin released a happy breath, “I’d met her less than an hour before. Not even an hour. I’d never been so instantly comfortable around anyone, before or since. Robin and her sister were going to a concert that night, and Mr. Abbey thought that was a good time for them to leave. I didn’t want her to go, and if we’d been given the option, she would have stayed. Before she left, I ripped one of my drawings out of the book, and wrote my phone number on it. She saw it and kissed me.”

Impulse gasped as Robin continued, “On the cheek, but it overwhelmed my mind. I was in a daze for the next three hours, replaying the events in my mind. We, um, got a lot of crap for that, from family and society people.”

“Why the society people,” Impulse asked, “Did they follow you up to your room, too?”

Robin shook his head, “No. When she kissed me, she left lipstick on my cheek. No one told me that I had her lips on my cheek for the rest of the party.”

“Red,” Impulse asked with a smile.

“Peach,” Robin replied, “We had our first official date a week later, and our first kiss. We’ve been together ever since.”

Impulse gave a satisfied sigh before asking, “D, seriously, why don’t you ever talk to the team like this?”

Robin looked away, “It doesn’t feel right. I…I hate public speaking. I’ve tried, and I just can’t do it.”

“But, it’s us.”

“I know,” Robin said, “and I can talk to any of you, individually. I get nervous when talking to groups. I usually won’t even talk at the dinner table with my family.”

“Then, how do you lead our training sessions, or that planning meeting we had before the Mount Justice invasion?”

“That’s different,” Robin said, “That’s business. That’s relaying information, not a personal conversation.”

Impulse turned her chair, “You can trust us. We’re family now.”

“I’m trying,” Robin said, “I want to. I’m just…not there yet.”

“Would you feel more comfortable talking to just the boys?”

Robin shook his head, “It’s not the people, it’s the mood. I have to be in a mood to talk, like I apparently am today. The more people who are around, though, the quicker the mood leaves.”

Impulse opened her mouth to reply when a monitor beeped on her side of the console. She brought up the notification and gasped.

“What is it,” Robin asked.

Impulse sent the report to the main monitor and said, “There’s a report of a huge earthquake in Peru. If my Spanish is right, they are reporting it as an 8.1. That’s huge.”

Robin turned up the volume on the report and they watched several minutes of the news broadcast.

Robin nodded, “Yep, that’s what they’re reporting. I didn’t know you spoke Spanish.”

“I don’t, really,” Impulse said, “I took a semester of Spanish last school year.”

“Keep it up,” Robin said, “It’s important to be able to communicate with people.”

Impulse stared at Robin with her jaw sagging, “How can you _possibly_ say that with a straight face, after what you just told me?”

“I understand the irony,” Robin said flatly, “I also speak twelve languages.”

“So, you can _not_ talk to people in their native language,” Impulse asked, barely suppressing a laugh.

“Yeah, yeah,” Robin murmured, “Try to find an English language broadcast and follow along. I’ll keep watching this one.”

Impulse flipped through several channels while asking, “Is Spanish your second language?”

“No,” Robin said, “I think it was fourth or fifth. Second was English.”

Impulse looked over in confusion, “Then, what was your first language?”

“Arabic.”

“Really?”

Robin released a slow breath, “We talked about this a year ago, remember? I was born in the Middle East.”

“That’s right,” Impulse said, “Sorry, I forgot.”

“That’s okay.”

“It just shows how well you’re able to fit in,” Impulse said, “It’s a good thing. Found a news channel.”

“Right,” Robin said, “Pay attention to the report.”

The junior heroes watched their news sources for an hour before Impulse leaned back and sighed.

“My broadcast went back to regular programming. What should I do now?”

“Open the log and note the incident,” Robin said distractedly, “Then, write up your notes in a separate file and attach it to the report.”

“Did you want me to leave the file open, so you can attach your notes,” Impulse asked.

Robin shook his head, “I’ll do that later. I found a raw feed out of Peru. I’ll watch this for a while, then add my notes after.”

Another half hour later, after both sets of notes were entered into the log, Impulse turned to Robin and asked, “Okay, now what do we do?”

“What do you mean,” Robin asked.

“Are we going,” Impulse asked.

“Going where?”

Impulse pointed to the screen, still showing earthquake footage, “There. We’re going to go help them, right?”

Robin turned back to the screen, “Oh. No.”

“No,” Impulse asked, “We’re not going to help them?”

“No,” Robin said.

“Why not,” Impulse asked, “Look at that. They need help.”

“How are we going to help them,” Robin asked.

“We’re the Justice League,” Impulse said, “Shouldn’t we do something? There might be people trapped that we can help.”

“There’s nothing we can do,” Robin said.

“There has to be something,” Impulse said, getting frustrated.

“That’s not our job,” Robin said, “We’re monitors. We monitor the situation and report to the League.”

“Then report it,” Impulse nearly shouted, “Have the League look into it.”

Robin took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, “Look, I understand how you feel. It’s not easy, watching others suffer, but there’s a bigger picture here that you’re not understanding. First of all, the last thing the Peruvian authorities want or need right now is a couple of teenagers trying to help out. That means _we_ can’t go. There are no Zeta Tubes in Peru. The closest one is in Brazil. So, even if we went, it would take us hours to get there. Same for the League. You said we should report the earthquake to the League. You did that, when you made the log entry. First thing we do every monitoring shift is check the log to see if there is anything we need to follow up on from the last shift. The next shift will see your entry and monitor the situation. Lastly, they didn’t ask for our help. Part of the Justice League charter says that our help and intervention is available for all, but it has to be requested. Others don’t always want us sticking our noses in their business. If they want our help, they will call us. We do monitoring shifts so that, if they do call us, we have an idea about what’s going on”

The pair fell silent for a minute, until Impulse asked, a little harshly, “How can you just sit there and watch, without wanting to help?”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to help,” Robin said softly, “I said, following the Justice League Charter, we can’t help until they ask us. Think of it this way. Disasters happened long before the Justice League existed, and they will continue to happen long after we’re gone.”

“That’s all the more reason to help while we can,” Impulse said.

“It’s also a reason to pace yourself,” Robin said, “No matter how good your intentions are, we can’t solve all the world’s problems.”

“What do you mean?”

Robin switched to another channel, “There’s a five hundred acre wildfire burning in Colorado. Should we go and help put it out?”

Impulse watched the news coverage for a second, then said, “No. There are fire fighters working to put that out.”

Robin switched to a different channel, “There’s a flood in Pakistan. Should we go look for survivors?”

Again, Impulse watched a minute of coverage before saying, “They’re reporting that rescue crews are already there and looking for survivors.”

“So, what makes this earthquake in Peru special,” Robin asked, “Like I said, stuff happens all the time. That’s just the world we live in. That’s also why we only respond to crises when we are officially requested. If we responded to everything, we would be constantly on the move.”

Impulse looked down and asked softly, “What now?”

Robin stood up from his chair and said, “I’m going to use the restroom.”

Robin walked behind Impulse, then stopped and gently rested a hand on her shoulder. “Call your Father,” Robin said softly, “Tell him what’s going on. Tell him how you’re feeling. Talk to him about what you want to do.”

Robin gave Impulse’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before walking out of the communications room.

_Half an Hour Later…_

“Are you feeling alright,” Impulse asked as Robin walked back into the communications room.

“What,” Robin asked.

Impulse smirked, “That was an awfully long bathroom break.”

Robin rolled his eyes under his mask, “I was giving you time to talk to your Father. What did he say?”

Impulse’s smirk fell, “He said you were right. We can only go where we’re asked to go. He told me it isn’t easy, what we do, and what we have to watch happen. This is the first monitoring shift I’ve worked where something has actually happened.”

“It’s pretty rare,” Robin said, “shifts that actually aren’t complete wastes of time, I mean. I guess I’ll go over what to do when something happens on a monitoring shift with the team again this weekend.”

“You don’t have to be right all the time, you know,” Impulse said.

Robin smirked and shrugged, “Kinda do. It’s my personality quirk.”

Impulse shook her head, “I don’t know how your girlfriend puts up with that.”

Robin looked away and mumbled, “Yeah, well…”

Impulse looked back at Robin, concerned at the quick changed in his attitude, “Robin? What is it?”

“Nothing,” Robin grumbled.

“Yes, it is,” the girl said.

Robin shot her a short glare and mumbled, “It’s personal.”

“And what I told you earlier wasn’t personal,” Impulse asked, “Come on, Robin. You were able to help me earlier; I want to help you. I know you talk to family. We’re family now, remember? Let me help you.”

Robin fell stonily silent as he stared ahead at the monitors. Impulse sighed and turned back to her monitors.

A minute later, Robin spoke softly, “We had an argument yesterday.”

Impulse hid her smile, “What did you argue about?”

Robin took a breath, “Robin is getting ready to start college. She was able to graduate from high school while we were in the hospital. She applied for schools last year, and she got into seven of the ten schools she applied to, including her dream school, New York University.”

“And you’re upset that she’s not going to go to school with you,” Impulse asked.

Robin turned his head to look at Impulse, “Of course not. She’s wanted to go to NYU for as long as I’ve known her. I’m happy that she got into her dream school.”

“Then, what did you argue about,” Impulse asked.

Robin looked down, his voice barely a whisper, “She’s…not doing well, after the fire.”

Impulse cringed, “How bad were her injuries?”

“Her burns have healed completely,” Robin said, “Hers weren’t as bad as mine, and she has a really sexy burn mark left on her side.” Robin blushed as he realized what he just said, but continued, “I…I got the worst of the burns. They’re mostly healed, now. I only have the occasional pain and stiffness. My lungs have healed, too. I have a portable oxygen concentrator for emergency use, when I can’t catch my breath. I’ve only used it a few times, and not at all in the past few weeks. I’ve been cleared, reluctantly, to return to patrolling.”

“Reluctantly,” Impulse asked, “What does that mean?”

Robin shrugged, “Dr. Thompkins has never liked us doing what we do, but she couldn’t find a medical reason to keep me on the bench.”

Robin sighed, “Robin, on the other hand, doesn’t heal as fast as I do. Her lungs are a mess. She has good days and bad days, like I do, but her bad days see her unable to get out of bed, while mine require me to take a few more breaks than I normally would. She’s getting daily breathing treatments, physical therapy, and she’s on oxygen more than she’s off. She’ll have a good day, and push herself in therapy, then won’t be able to get out of bed the next day. She spends at least six hours a day on oxygen.”

Impulse shook her head, “Is she jealous that you healed faster?”

“A little,” Robin said, “but she knows that Mother genetically engineered me to heal faster. She knows that we’re both lucky to be out of the hospital at all.”

“I still don’t get what you two argued over,” Impulse said.

“That’s because I haven’t gotten there yet,” Robin said. He took a breath and said, “Robin’s parents are worried about her recovery. They talked to her yesterday morning and asked if she would consider postponing starting college until the spring semester, to give her more time to heal. They’re afraid of what might happen to her, when they will be four thousand miles away. I mean, she has a hard time getting up and down the stairs at home. How is she going to walk around a college campus?”

“You’re worried, too,” Impulse pointed out.

Robin turned in his seat and snapped, “Of course, I’m worried. If she needs help, the soonest I can get there is an hour and a half after I find out she needs help. What can happen to her in that amount of time? What if…what if she doesn’t get better?”

Impulse shook her head, “D, you can’t think like that.”

“I can’t help it,” Robin said, “Her doctor said she was recovering slower than originally expected. What if she’s like this for years? For the rest of her life? Her parent’s house is just a little bigger that yours, and she has trouble getting around that. How is she going to be able to get around the Manor?”

Impulse sighed to herself. _I’ve never heard him sounding this vulnerable before. This is definitely not Robin talking. This is the real Damian, the one that he doesn’t normally show to anyone._ “Robin,” Impulse said firmly, “You are not allowed to give up hope. Sure, she’s not doing as well as she could be. That doesn’t mean she won’t get better. You have to support her, and believe in her.”

“I do,” Robin protested, “I just hate seeing her like this. She was a musician. She played the flute in the school band, and she was very good. Her doctor told her, no matter how well she recovers, she will never be able to play the flute again. She was a competitive swimmer on the school team. That’s out the window now. Now, her parents want her to postpone going to her dream school. What else is she going to have to give up? What side effects of this won’t we know about until years down the road? What if…” Robin gasped, trying to hold back tears, then whispered, “What if we can’t have kids? Robin and I both want a big family. What if that can’t happen anymore?”

Impulse was scared. She had never heard Robin sounding so lost before. She stood and pulled Robin into a tight hug, the only thing she could think to do. Robin stood there in the embrace for a full minute before he let himself start to relax. Robin leaned his head against Impulse’s and released a deep sigh as he wrapped his arms around the younger girl.

“I didn’t know you two were that serious,” Impulse said softly, “I didn’t know you two were talking about things that far down the road.”

“I told you that I proposed to Robin,” Robin said softly.

“Yeah, but I thought that was just…I mean, you’re fifteen.”

Robin sighed again, “I bought a ring. I proposed on her seventeenth birthday. We were both still in the hospital, and it hurt like hell to get down on my knee to propose properly. We’re meant to be together.”

“I know,” Impulse said, “The party thing.”

Robin shook his head, “Not just that. The only thing I brought with me to Alaska that survived the house fire was Robin’s engagement ring. How can that not be a sign? Her father found the ring, brought it to me in the hospital, and, after a long talk, distracted the doctors so Father could sneak me into Robin’s room to propose. How is that not us meant to be together?”

“He actually did that,” Impulse asked.

“We know we have to wait until I’m eighteen before we can get married, but we’ve been making informal plans for about a year now. That included whether we want kids, and if we want more than one. We do. I come from a family with generations of only one child. I want to break that tradition. Robin does, too.”

“You said it yourself,” Impulse said, “You have to wait until you two are old enough to get married. That means you have time for her to get better, and to make sure everything is going to work out. And, if it doesn’t work out, your family is a good example of adoption working.”

“I know,” Robin said, “but we want at least one of our own. We want one that we can raise from birth.”

“You can adopt newborns,” Impulse said.

“It won’t be the same,” Robin whispered.

Impulse released Robin from her hug and helped him sit down again, even though it wasn’t necessary. Impulse pulled her chair closer to Robin’s and said, “You two will work it out. You’ve got time. For all you know, Robin could improve tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Robin breathed.

“You have to believe it, Robin,” Impulse said, “If you won’t believe in her, who will?”

“I wish it was that easy,” Robin said.

“Why isn’t it,” Impulse asked.

“Because I haven’t told you about why Robin and I got into an argument yet,” Robin said, “Robin called me after talking with her parents, and told me what they wanted her to do. I agreed with them. That’s why we argued. I think she needs more time to recover, too. I…I didn’t think she would take it so bad.”

“Well, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Impulse said, “You’re looking out for her health.”

Robin looked down, and his voice was full of self-loathing, “She wanted my support, and I didn’t give it to her. She wanted me to understand, and to encourage her. I talked about how her health isn’t where it needs to be. I was worried about her physical health, and I ignored her emotional health. That’s what she needed from me, and I didn’t give it to her.”

“You did it because you’re worried about her,” Impulse said, “I can hear it in your voice.”

“Of course, I’m worried,” Robin said, “I’m scared to death. I hate being away from her. If she’s at home and something happens, after they helped her, her parents would call me. When she goes to NYU, she will be living in the dorms. Her roommate won’t know to call me if something happens, and even if Robin told the roommate what to do, there’s no guarantee she would actually do it. She might not even call Robin’s parents.”

“You don’t know that,” Impulse said.

“No, I don’t. That’s why I’m scared.”

The pair fell silent as they caught their breath. Impulse asked softly, “Have you told Robin this?”

“She knows how I feel,” Robin said.

“Are you sure? You don’t admit your fears easily. It’s easy to assume that you don’t fear anything. Anyway, I’m betting that Robin is so focused on her own fears that she isn’t even thinking about yours.”

“I’m supposed to be the strong one,” Robin murmured.

“That doesn’t mean you have to turn off your feelings,” Impulse said gently, “You can’t hold everything in until the next time you see Robin.”

The speedster grew a smile and stood up. She hitched her head at the communications console and said, “Call her. Talk about what you’re feeling. Tell her why you agree with her parents, and that it doesn’t mean you don’t love her. You just want what’s best for her. I’m going to the bathroom.”

_Forty-five Minutes Later…_

Impulse stuck her head around the corner to look into the control room. Seeing Robin sitting at the console silently, Impulse walked back into the room and asked, “Is it safe to come back yet?”

Robin rolled his eyes, “It was safe to come back fifteen minutes ago.”

Impulse sat down and asked, “How did it go?”

Robin sighed deeply and spoke softly, “You were right. She wasn’t thinking about anything other than how she was feeling. She shouldn’t have been worrying about my feelings, but now she is.”

“You make that sound like a bad thing,” Impulse said, concerned for how the private conversation actually went.

“She shouldn’t have to worry about me,” Robin said, “All she needs to worry about it getting stronger. Now, she’s feeling bad about scaring me.”

“You told her that you’re scared, and that’s why you agreed with her parents,” Impulse asked.

Robin looked down, “I did. She didn’t like hearing that I’m scared for her.”

Impulse eyed Robin critically, “She didn’t like that you’re scared, or she didn’t like that you didn’t tell her earlier?”

Robin blushed, “The second one. She knows how I act. She knows that I still hide my more…heartfelt feelings. She knows that the only reason I would keep this from her is that it really scares me. We try not to have any secrets from each other. This one hurt to tell her.”

“So, what happens now,” Impulse asked, “Is she mad at you?”

Robin shook his head, “No. She said she saw her doctor today, and the doctor gave her a new plan for therapy. They think it will help her recover faster than the old plan, with less bad days. She’s going to try that for a few weeks and see how it works. She still has a month before she has to make a decision about school. I told her I would support any decision she makes.”

Impulse smiled, “See what happens when you talk to people?”

“I also gave her your email address,” Robin said, “She wants to thank you for helping me work through this. Robin knew I wouldn’t have been able to admit all of this on my own, without help from someone. I want to thank you, too. You really helped me, Impulse.”

Impulse’s jaw dropped, “You gave her my email address?”

“I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“You’re okay with me talking to your girlfriend?”

“I guess I am,” Robin said.

“I won’t tell the rest of the team,” Impulse said quietly, “I know how private you like to keep things.”

_Maybe I won’t tell her that Robin and Jon are friends on Facebook,_ Robin thought.

Robin sighed, “Can this year be over already? This has been a terrible year for me.”

Impulse thought about all the stories she had heard of everything that had happened to Robin this year, “Maybe that is a good idea.”

Robin nodded, “It has to be. There is no way that 2020 can possibly be worse than 2019.”

“Don’t say that out loud,” Impulse said, “You could jinx yourself.”

Robin glanced over, “You actually believe in jinxes?”

Impulse smiled, “You’re the one that said your relationship with Robin is fate, or destiny, or whatever. Why can’t there be jinxes?”

Robin shrugged, “Why not?”

A light flashed on the console, and Robin pushed the button. “Hello?”

A video of Cyborg appeared on the main screen, smiling down at Robin and Impulse, “Hello, young Justice Leaguers. It is now zero one hundred. Your shift is over. I have the next shift.”

Robin nodded, “Very well. Are you working alone tonight?”

Beast Boy walked into the frame, yawning and stretching, “Hey, Rob. Hi, Impulse. I’m here, too.”

“Morning, BB,” Impulse called cheerily.

“Try to stay awake, okay, Beast Boy,” Robin said.

“Come on, Rob. It’s the middle of the night,” Beast Boy said in a yawn.

“We must be ready at all times,” Robin said.

“Don’t worry about him, BB,” Cyborg said, “You’re with me tonight.”

Cyborg turned back to the screen and asked, “Anything happen tonight?”

Robin pressed a button, “Transferring log now. There was a huge earthquake in Peru, and the floods in Pakistan look like they’re getting worse. Other than that, it was quiet.”

Cyborg caught the look that Impulse sent to Robin, and wondered what didn’t make it into the log. “I saw the earthquake on the news. It looked pretty bad. We’ll keep an eye on the situation. You two are relieved. Go home and get some sleep.”

“We stand relieved,” Robin said, “Good night, you two.”

Robin turned off the screen and said, “Okay. That’s it.”

“That’s it,” Impulse asked, “That’s _all_ that happened tonight?”

Robin glanced over, “That’s all that Cyborg needs to know about. Our conversations don’t need to go any further than the two of us.”

“Oh. Right,” Impulse said as she stood up and stretched, “This shift went fast tonight.”

Robin finished putting Mount Justice’s systems into standby mode, and said, “It makes the time go quicker, when we have someone to talk to.”

Impulse nodded as the pair headed for the Zeta Tube. “Remember, keep talking to Robin. She’s good for you, D.”

“She said the same thing, you know.”

“To keep talking to her,” Impulse asked.

Robin shook his head, “No, to keep talking to you. Tonight really helped me. Thank you. I don’t feel…so alone anymore.”

Impulse smiled, “You’re never alone, Robin. You just have to allow yourself to see those around you. We can help you, just like you help us.”

Robin looked down for a second, then back up, “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind. Team meeting, Saturday night. Same time as always.”

“I’ll be here,” Impulse said, “I’m going to want an update on how things are going with you and Robin.”

“Okay,” Robin said, “You might want to get to the meeting a couple minutes early on Saturday.”

“For the update,” Impulse asked.

Robin nodded, “That, and to claim a chair in the meeting.”

“Don’t we have plenty of chairs,” Impulse asked, confused.

“We do. I just assumed you would want the one next to Jon,” Robin said with a shrug.

Impulse’s eyes widened, “I think you’re right.”

Robin activated the Zeta Tube and entered the code for Impulse’s home, “Good night, Impulse. Thank your mother for me.”

“For what?”

“For agreeing with your father to let you come tonight,” Robin said, “I didn’t know just how much I needed to talk to someone. You really helped me. Thank you.”

Impulse blushed before giving Robin a quick hug, “That’s what family is for. You do the same for us all the time. It’s about time we got to help you. See you Saturday.”

Impulse stepped through the Zeta Tube and disappeared.

Robin grew a soft smile as he entered his home coordinates into the system.

“Family,” Robin whispered as he left the mountain.

**A/N: I didn’t think I would write this story. I actually had an idea similar to this several years ago, for how to bring in friends for Damian. That story turned into Invasion. What you don’t know is that the main friendship that was supposed to come out of Invasion was Damian and Irey. That got changed to make Jon the friendship focus for Damian, mostly because the Super Sons books had just started when I was first planning and outlining Invasion. At the same time, I was working on expanding my original character Robin, Damian’s girlfriend. She was supposed to have her last appearance at the end of The Fire That Burns, and disappear after moving to Alaska. I decided against doing that, which necessitated moving Irey into a secondary, or even tertiary role. I wanted to avoid Damian and Irey having a pronounced, strong relationship, to avoid people asking if it was going to turn into a love triangle, and if there was going to be some sort of infidelity storyline introduced. There won’t. That is absolutely off the table, and not even a consideration.**

**That said, I like the idea of Damian having someone else he can talk to, and this story idea has been circulating in the back of my head for a long time. Thanks to Taurus2001 for letting me know that I wasn’t the only one interested in this.**

**Just so you know, this story was written over the last week of July, 2020. The line about there being no way 2020 can be worse that 2019 is very intentional, with all the shit that has happened this year. Sorry, there is just no other way to describe it.**

**I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one, and on all of my works. Comments really help in making me want to continue to write. Thanks in advance.**

**Thanks for playing along.**


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